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This Week in Geekdom

Sorry for the mini-gap in posts this week guys. The GIR and I are enjoying a post-convention respite and are aiming to make the most of the summer before it comes to its unofficial end tomorrow. Ugh, that last clause was so disheartening to write. How is the summer over already? Anyhow, there's plenty in the way of geeky news to distract ourselves with, so let's get down to it.

Comics

In news that makes my inner 5-year-old squeal: in celebration of her 30th anniversary, She-Ra will be returning to the world of comics. The Princess of Power will be joining the ranks of the Masters of the Universe this October.

Grayskull is about to get a bit more badass

After 75 years of playing the love interest to the Man of Steel, Lois Lane is getting her own moment in the proverbial sun. Next January the intrepid reporter will star in her own young adult novel (which is already available for pre-order on Amazon).

Team Meat, the 2-person studio behind the infamously difficult semi-eponymous platformer Super Meat Boy has decided that enhancements to their trademark game, namely bringing it to mobile gaming platforms, will be their focus for the short-to-medium term. This is sad news for those of us who'd been waiting for their absurdist mad science cat-breeding sim Mew-Genics. While Team Meat was quick to assure their fans that Mew-Genicshas not been cancelled, it'll be a while before we can create ourselves the perfect diabolical feline companion.

Add the Tick to the growing roster of prematurely cancelled TV series given new life by digital streaming platforms. Amazon confirmed on Friday that they will be producing and hosting a fresh season of the cult-hit superhero parody and that original lead Patrick Warburton will reprise his starring role.

While one show gets new life, another is sent off to the great database in the sky. Wil Wheaton and the Syfy Network have both confirmed that the Wil Wheaton Projecthas been cancelled after a 12-episode run. The Syfy Network has yet to state which show will fill Wheaton's time slot.

A cadre of Star Trek cast members were on hand at last week's Wizard World Chicago Comic Con and they took advantage of their communal attendance with this group picture:

Science/Technology

There's no question that the runaway star of this summer's biggest movie is a miniature Ent with a vocabulary only slightly more nuanced than that of Hodor. Groot is beloved, imitated, and replicated as an adorable desk toy, but is it possible for this sentient flora to exist beyond the confines of our communal creative processes? Daniel Chemovitz of the Manna Center for Plant Biosciences aims to find out.

The interwebs have given us countless ways to interact, express ourselves, and even make a living. Check out these internet-based careers that you may not have known existed.

While we're on the subject of ingestible molecules with surprising health benefits, scientists at the UA Steele Children's Research Center believe that you should add curcumin to that roster. Their research indicates that curcumin, one of the components of the cooking spice tumeric, may play an important role in hindering the development of colon cancer.